“Ashton.”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. So responsive.” His finger caressed my clit and the muscles in my body tightened in anticipation, all the while his tongue traced patterns across my nape. The combination became too much and fireworks exploded behind my eyes as I gave in to the urge and let go, screaming out Ashton’s name.

Aftershocks flashed through my body so strongly, I barely noticed him push my pants down my thighs. He lifted me a bit higher and slid home. Both of our tests had come back negative and I was on the pill, so there was no need for a condom.

“You’re so fucking wet. It makes me want to come, knowing how badly you want me. I want to fuck you hard and fast right now.”

“Do it,” I moaned.

Ashton didn’t need to be told twice. He gripped my hips, thrusting rapidly. My body moved in sync with his.

“Damn, damn, damn,” I cried, my body pushing itself toward another orgasm quicker than I could have imagined.

Ashton lost his rhythm right before slamming into me one last time. Sensations were the only thing I paid attention to as my orgasm ripped through me.

As our bodies cooled, Ashton placed sweet soft kisses to the back of my neck. Glancing down, I noticed our partial state of undress. Drained, I leaned back against Ashton, enjoying the soft movements around my stomach.

“You are so passionate and responsive. Everything I need,” he whispered in my ear.

“Mmm.”

“Did I steal your strength?” he chuckled.

I nodded, too tired to speak.

“Let’s get you dressed, then you can sleep the rest of the flight. I’ll wake you when we get there.”

“Where is there?”

“Oh no, you’re still not getting it out of me with your sleepy ramblings.”

“I tried,” I mumbled.

He laughed and stood, his arms wound around my middle. He helped me adjust my clothes and then tucked himself back into his jeans. I sat back down in my seat, wondering how I’d be comfortable enough to sleep sitting up. Ashton was digging through a cabinet in the back and came back with a pillow and a blanket.

“Thank you,” I said, taking the pillow from his hands and placing it behind my head.

He laughed and shook his head at me. “Let me help.” He reached down on the side of the seat. Slowly, the seat began to recline. When it finally stopped moving, I was lying down and knew I’d be asleep in no time. Ashton covered me with the blanket, then placed a soft kiss on my head.

“Sleep.”

Too tired to argue or attempt to get answers from him, I let my eyes drift closed.



The jerk of the wheels hitting the ground woke me. Like a kid on Christmas morning, I was instantly alert. Sitting up, I found Ashton lounging in the seat next to me. His glasses were on the top of his head, a book in his hand.

“Are we nearly there?”

He lowered the book to his lap and pulled his glasses back down over his eyes. “We should be at the hanger soon, then we just need to wait for permission to disembark.”

He stood, stretching, all of his lean muscles on display underneath his T-shirt. “You can stop staring now. If you want to touch . . .”

He glanced at me out of the corner of his eyes, a smirk crossing his lips.

I glanced away but then looked back. Why shouldn’t I touch him? After all, we’d done much worse on this flight. Soon we’d been wherever it was he’d taken me—who knew when I’d next get a chance like this.

Standing, I stepped up and placed my hands on his abs and his eyes darkened instantly. His reaction had me feeling brave and I didn’t give him a chance to do anything before I leaned up on my toes and pressed my lips to his. His hand on my lower back pressed me closer to him. When he leaned back, he watched me for a minute then admitted, “You make me feel things I never thought I would.”

Unsure how to respond I opened and closed my mouth a few times, willing the words to come. But I was interrupted when the door to the front compartment swung open.

“You guys can exit the plane whenever you’re ready. The car . . .” John seemed to notice something going on between us and trailed off.

“Thanks, John. I’ll text you when we’re ready to head back,” Ashton answered over his shoulder. Letting out a breath, I thanked my lucky stars. Saved by the bell.

“Ashton.”

He stepped toward the front, where he’d stored the bag earlier. Oh man, had I messed this up? My stomach began to churn. He’d taken the time to plan this and there I was, sticking my foot in my mouth.

I followed him, hesitantly. These sorts of situations always made me nervous, and with Ashton I didn’t know where I stood. Dominic would have just flown into a rage, and rage I could cope with. I wasn’t used to brooding.

Ashton was standing at the door, just looking at the stairs. For a moment, I thought he might change his mind and call John to take us back. Then he turned and held out a hand to me, the mysterious bag in the other. I felt the tension leave my body, all of my insecurities of a moment ago faded away.

My hand slipped into his, weaving our fingers together. The warmth infused my skin, chasing away the cold. We walked the steps hand in hand, toward the jeep that sat on the tarmac in front of us.

“Here, you might need this.” He reached into the bag and pulled out a hooded sweatshirt.

“Thank you.” I put the sweatshirt on and climbed into the jeep.

Once he was settled in the driver’s seat, I looked over at him. He was such a handsome man. I had to force myself to believe I wasn’t dreaming. “Still not going to tell me where we are.”

“You’ll see in a minute.” He started the car and took off toward the front gate.

When we passed through, I thought my eyes might fall out of my head. I couldn’t have seen the sign correctly. Reaching over, he placed a finger under my chin and closed my mouth.

“Close your mouth, before the bugs fly in.”

“The Grand Canyon? You brought me to the Grand Canyon?”

It was a place I’d always wanted to go, but never in a million years thought I’d find myself.

“I had a feeling you’d never been here, and I thought sunrise would a spectacular way for you to see it the first time.”

The tears came on so fast I had no chance of stopping them and they leaked down my cheeks, blurring my vision and making it hard for me to draw a full breath. Ashton glanced over at me. “Don’t cry, Elena.”

“I can’t help it. I’ve never been so happy.”

The sky was still dark and it was hard to see. My heart pounding in my chest the longer we drove. I knew we were getting closer.

Ashton pulled the jeep to a stop and jumped out to grab the bag. Stepping out of the car, I was surprised by the drop in temperature.

“Wow, it’s cold.”

“Until the sun comes up.” He lifted the bag in his hand. “I brought things to keep us warm. Come on, I don’t want you to miss any of it.”

He flicked on a flashlight and led the way, the light seeming extraordinarily bright in the darkness. I was used to nighttime, obviously, but I didn’t know if it was the change in location or something else, but everything seemed . . . more. The air was colder, the night darker. I caught up to Ashton, looping my arm through his as we followed the trail and the feel of him against me was just the same.

More.

We weren’t the only ones there. Voices could be heard all around us. When we finally stopped walking, I was glad Ashton had me put sneakers on. He lay out a blanket and pulled another from his bag. Taking a seat in the center, he gestured in front of himself.

“Sit with me. This is the best place to see the sunrise this time of year.”

Shivering at the cold I sat between his legs, leaning against his chest and he wrapped the other blanket around the two of us, holding me tight to him. It felt so right, sitting here with him like this. But it was hard to concentrate on anything but the beauty surrounding me. As we sat watching, the sky changed from a light blue to orange and eventually a pink.